


Double Helix

by GregXB



Category: Gargoyles (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-05
Updated: 2017-02-05
Packaged: 2018-09-22 05:20:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9585209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GregXB/pseuds/GregXB
Summary: Angela reluctantly joins Demona on a mission to help foil an impending plot by Thailog, the full scope of which may be far beyond anything they were expecting.





	

**Double Helix**

Greg Bishansky

 **The Eyrie Building**  
**July 7** **th** **, 1998**

"It's a scorcher," Brooklyn said, as he and Katana stepped out onto the castle battlements as the rest of the clan gathered, save for Angela and Broadway.

"Can't we just take tonight off, Goliath?" Lexington asked, as he wiped sweat off his brow. "Even scum would want to be inside with air conditioning on a night like this."

"It is our duty," said Goliath. He also wiped some sweat from his broad shoulders, then spread his wings. "I will patrol with Elisa. Each of you has your assignment."

The gargoyles took to the air, soaring out over the city. The castle was quiet until the doors to the Great Hall opened and Broadway stepped out alongside Angela. The big, aquamarine gargoyle was cradling the recently hatched female gargoyle that the clan had named Tachi in his arms.

"Isn't she adorable, Broadway?" Angela asked, taking the hatchling from Broadway's arms. Even at this age, Tachi had a defined beak, curved horns, brick-red skin, and a shock of white hair. "I love the nights when we can look after her."

The little hatchling opened her beak and growled, and Angela stroked her hair. "I think she wants to go for a glide."

"Okay," Broadway said. "I'll go get a bottle of her formula and then, how about Central Park?"

Angela nodded, as she kept her eyes on her rookery daughter. After a few minutes, Broadway returned carrying a small bag attached to his belt. The couple leaped off the side of the castle, catching the next air current with their wings, and headed north, over the park.

After a few minutes, they landed in a small playground. Angela held Tachi to her breast before rubbing a finger against her brow, then kissed her on the forehead. "Do you want to go on the swing?" she asked.

"We get more wind in the air," Broadway said.

"Oh hush," said Angela. She smiled slyly and took a seat on the swing, still holding Tachi in her arms while her little wing-hands took hold of the chains. "Let's have a little a fun."

Broadway started to lightly push the swing, faster and faster. "Having a good time?"

"Whee!" Angela cried and grinned as Tachi's beak managed to curve into a smile. "She loves it, Broadway!"

Then they heard a scream in the distance. Angela quickly brought the swing to a stop and leaped onto the ground.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Probably a mugging," Broadway said. "And when we're on hatchling duty."

Angela sat Tachi down in a sandbox. The hatchling crawled around, throwing grains of sand about. "She'll be all right for a minute," she said. "This won't take long."

Broadway and Angela then bolted towards the sounds of the scream, less than five hundred feet away. They found a very familiar human couple surrounded by three street toughs.

"Fuck," one of the muggers, a bald Caucasian man, shouted. "Not these freaks again!"

Angela grabbed the bald white man by the collar of his shirt, lifted him up into the air and threw him hard against a nearby tree. Broadway grabbed the other two muggers, a broad, muscular man and a tall, African-American man, and slammed their heads together, knocking them out cold.

"Not even twenty seconds," Broadway said, flexing a bicep with pride. "Are we the best or what?"

"No, not again!" Margot Yale cried, before she turned and fled in the opposite direction.

Her husband, Brendan Quarters, stood still for a moment, hesitating. "Thanks," he said, then turned and ran after his wife.

"Hmm, Ms. Yale's husband thanked us," Broadway said. "I guess that's progress."

"We'd better get back to Tachi," said Angela. She and Broadway ran back towards the playground, to stop dead in their track. Another gargoyle stood in the middle of the sandbox, wings cloaked, cradling the hatchling in her arms.

"No," Angela said, as she felt her heart sink with dread. Broadway immediately assumed a battle stance, his eyes glowing white.

"Hello, Angela," Demona said, not taking her eyes off the hatchling in her arms. She gently cooed the child and stroked her white hair. "I hope you don't mind me stopping by to babysit."

"Let her go, Demona," Angela said, trying not to growl in front of Tachi, but failing to hide her fear and anger. "Now."

Demona looked up at Angela, smiled, then gently placed the child into her arms. "It warms my heart to see a new hatchling."

"Didn't know you had a heart," Broadway snapped.

"Let's go," Angela said, as she and Broadway turned towards the playground's exit.

"Wait," Demona called. "Angela, I need to speak with you."

Angela stopped in her tracks, looked back for a moment, then scowled. "We have nothing to say to each other."

"Thailog is planning an attack," Demona said, very firmly.

"What?" Angela asked, turning around again and facing her biological mother.

"It's got to be a trick," Broadway bellowed. "You can't listen to her."

"What kind of attack?" Angela asked.

"I don't know much," Demona replied. "But my sources inside Nightstone Unlimited tell me that it's coming any night now."

"So you came all the way out here, threatened my rookery daughter, and have nothing of value to give us?" Angela said, her eyes flashed red.

"That's right!" Broadway said. "Let's go."

"Wait!" Demona cried. She reached towards her belt, removed a cell phone, and tossed it onto the grass at Angela's feet. "My phone number is programmed into it," she said. "If you change your mind, I implore you to call.

"And don't let me ruin your evening," Demona added, then turned and started walking away from them. "Have a good night."

As the red-haired gargoyle disappeared into the trees, Broadway called out: "If you think Angela is even considering this, you're more nuts than I thought!" But Angela placed Tachi into Broadway's arms. "What are you doing?"

"What if she's telling the truth?" Angela asked. She bent over and picked up the cell phone.

"Angela, no," Broadway said. "You can't trust her."

"I don't," Angela replied. "And I never will."

~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~

 **July 8** **th** **, 1998**

The Cyberbiotics security executive frowned. Even after midnight, the humidity saw no sign of breaking. It was times like this that he missed running the show in the company's now abandoned subterranean research facility. At least down there it was cool in the summer and warm in the winter. But his boss, Preston Vogel, did not seem bothered by the climate at all. The acting CEO checked his watch as he and his security detail waited at the helipad.

The security executive checked the manifest again. Experimental weapons prototypes. Cyberbiotics had changed since Halcyon Renard had passed away, and Vogel had risen to the position of acting CEO, at least until Mr. Renard's grandson came of age.

The silence broke as the large hovercraft began to approach the helipad. The air marshal stepped into the light and began signaling the aircraft. As it prepared its descent, a loud and inhuman roar echoed through the air.

Vogel scowled as two gargoyles soared through the sky and towards the hovercraft, before finally reaching it and digging their claws into the hull. The larger gargoyle looked suspiciously like Goliath, but with darker skin and white hair. It was dressed in red body armor and a gold-colored helmet with a single red visor covering his right eye. It tore open the side door of the craft. He and the small, purple gargoyle bolted in.

"Sound the alarm!" the security executive shouted.

From inside the hovercraft, the sounds of screams and gunfire could distinctly be heard over the hovercraft's engines. It might have only been less than a minute, but it felt like an hour until the broken bodies of the hovercraft's pilot as well as two security guards were tossed out of the open side door onto the helipad.

Vogel stared up at the hovercraft, his face betraying no emotion, as the larger gargoyle leaned out of the craft and growled. The craft then rose back into the air and flew off out of sight.

The security executive and his men rushed towards their fallen co-workers, but there was nothing to be done. "Call their families," he said with a sigh.

But Vogel reached into his pocket, pulled out his cell phone, and dialed. "I need the police."

~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~

"This is Travis Marshall with breaking news," the reporter said, speaking into the camera. "About four hours ago, a Cyberbiotics airfield was attacked by two gargoyles. I must warn you, this footage is not for the faint of heart."

As Travis spoke, the video cut to black and white security footage of the two gargoyles breaking into the hovercraft and, moments later, tossing three corpses out of it.

"Joining me is the head of the Gargoyles Taskforce, Detective Matthew Bluestone," Travis said, before turning to Matt. "Detective, any comments?"

"Right now, I just want to assure the public that there is no reason to panic," Matt said. "We're on top of it."

"Do you think that will reassure the people at home watching this footage?" Travis asked.

"I suppose that's up to each individual to decide for themselves," Matt said.

Hudson turned off the TV and growled. "I know the lad is in a precarious position," he said. "But surely he can do more."

"Bluestone is acting in our best interests," Goliath said, as he began leading them all towards the Great Hall. "Were he to openly support us, he would be removed and we do not know who would be chosen to replace him."

"Especially with Margot Yale breathing down his neck," Elisa said. Then she looked over at Broadway and Angela. "By the way, nice job, you two."

"Thanks," Broadway said. Then he turned to Angela and asked, "So, you want to tell them or should I?"

"Demona said Thailog was planning an attack," said Angela.

Most of the clan groaned. "And you believe her?" Lexington asked, raising a brow.

"Look at the news!" Angela cried. "Whatever he took, he probably intends to use against us."

"According to the manifest Cyberbiotics provided us with," Elisa said, "that hovercraft contained over a hundred particle weapon prototypes. Really nasty, too."

"What are Thailog and Brentwood going to do with a hundred particle beams?" Broadway asked. "It seems like overkill to me."

"Way too much kill," Lex added. "But what about the other elephant in the room?"

"What else did Demona say?" asked Goliath. Then he sighed. He knew he wasn't going to like this.

"She invited me to make contact with her," Angela said. "She might have more information."

"Hell, no!" Lex shouted. "Don't tell me you forgot about when she tried to kill us all at Goliath and Elisa's commitment ceremony."

"Or how about the time she tried to destroy all of humanity with the Spear of Destiny and Crown of Thorns?" Broadway added.

"Or when she tried to steal Tachi's egg?" Nashville said. "You can't trust her."

"And let us not forget the time she tried to destroy all of humanity during the Hunter's Moon!" Lex said. "I'll never forget that one."

"I'll never forget the part where she tossed that vial into the air, risking all life on Earth, just to escape!" Broadway said, before groaning. "Angela, you can't be thinking of speaking with her."

"Okay, guys, chill," Brooklyn ordered. They finally arrived in the Great Hall, and where they were joined by Katana, Coldstone, and Coldfire.

"And that's another thing," Lex said, turning towards Brooklyn. "What happened to the old 'it's Demona, let's kick her ass' Brooklyn that we know and love?"

"I can't believe you mellowed on that one," Broadway said, folding his arms across his chest.

"You can find him in the tenth, twelfth, fourteenth, sixteenth, eighteenth, early twentieth, and late twenty-second centuries," said Brooklyn. "But in the here and now, let's weigh out all of our options."

"I don't like this any more than you do, believe me," said Elisa. "And I don't trust Demona as far as I can throw her. But I do trust Angela's judgment."

"As do I," Goliath added, placing a hand on his daughter's shoulder.

"Then you can trust me to not even consider reaching out to her," Angela said, her eyes flashing red. "Demona and I have nothing to say to each other."

Just as she finished, the sun rose. Each of the gargoyles turned to stone, inside the Great Hall. Elisa smiled and placed a hand on the stone Angela's shoulder. "I trust you," she said, before exiting the room.

~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~

The sun set. The gargoyles burst out of their stone skin, dusting the remaining flakes off themselves. And, as if she had never left, Elisa was there to greet them. But the look on her face was grim.

"What happened?" Goliath asked.

"John Castaway issued a press release this afternoon," she said. "He's boasting that this morning alone, the Quarrymen have recruited a thousand new members."

"Swell," Brooklyn said, his one eye briefly flashing white.

"He's also holding a massive rally tonight in Times Square. The NYPD is expecting attendees in the tens of thousands," Elisa said, before sighing. "And right now, Matt is under pressure to capture a gargoyle. Any gargoyle. If he doesn't produce-"

"Then they'll remove him," Angela said, before slowly sitting down in Hudson's armchair, burying her face in her hands.

Goliath growled. "We will not allow Thailog to imprison us in the castle out of fear!"

"Does this mean we're going on patrol?" Gnash asked.

"Any other action would give Thailog the victory he wants," said Katana. "Goliath, I think I speak for the clan when I say that we are with you."

The rest of the clan voiced their agreement with her. As the chatter increased, Angela took the opportunity to sneak out of the Great Hall.

She slowly made her way through the castle's halls before entering the library. There, laying on the coffee table, was the cell phone that Demona had given her earlier. She picked it up, then found herself just staring at it. She lost track of time and her own movements. She sat in one of the armchairs, continuing to stare at the phone, as if it would bite her if she made any sudden move.

She flipped it open. Her eyes narrowed as she found the one contact listed as 'MOTHER'. She hesitated for another couple of minutes. At last, she hit 'CALL'.

~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~

**Gramercy Park**

Her private bathroom matched most of the rest of the townhouse. The walls were painted purple, and decorated with small gargoyle-shaped statues. The sink and counter were both carved from black marble, where her tiara, her armband, and even her earrings stood out, the bright gold contrasting with the darkness. Also sitting on the black marble was a lone candle, resting upon a human skull.

The floor was mostly red-colored slate, covered only by her discarded belt, loincloth, and halter-top.

The black porcelain enameled cast iron tub was massive, to accommodate the wings of its sole occupant. Demona leaned back, her right leg, still sporting her gold anklet, resting on the rim of the tub, a warm, wet washcloth covering her eyes.

Her cell phone started to buzz. She slowly reached towards the toilet where she had left it, and flipped it open. "I knew you would call," she said with a smile.

"I might still hang up," Angela said on the other end.

"If you had any intention of hanging up, you wouldn't have kept the phone." Demona's smile became a grin.

"I assume you saw the news?" Angela asked.

"I have been keeping up," Demona replied. "And I'm prepared to help."

Angela remained silent for another minute before finally asking "What do you know about Thailog's plans?"

"Not over the phone," Demona said, as she sat up in the tub. "Meet me at the Apex Tower in two hours."

The phone went dead as Angela ended the call. Demona stood up, reached for her towel, and began drying her long red hair.

~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~

Angela held the cell phone in her hand, and considered crushing it. But she hesitated, then clipped it onto her belt before getting up and rushing out of the library and into the courtyard. She was running up the stairs to the parapets when she heard the voice of her mate calling to her.

"Angela, wait!" Broadway cried, as he ran to her side. "It's dangerous out there."

"I need some time to myself," she said, not even looking directly at him.

"You're not going to meet Demona, are you?" Broadway asked. "Come on, you know better than that."

Angela glared at him, eyes blazing red. "I said leave me alone!"

Broadway took a couple of steps back. Angela threw herself from the parapets and caught the nearest wind current. She soared off over the city. He then began to make a move to follow her when Brooklyn placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Let her go," Brooklyn said. "Take it from a guy who's been mated for over thirty years. She needs time to sort this out for herself."

Broadway only stared out in the direction Angela flew off in. "Be careful, my love."

~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~

Down in the courtyard, Nashville was practicing his katas against a wooden post. One kick, then another, followed by a punch and then another kick. Coldfire and Katana watched him from about twenty feet away, Katana nodding with approval at each of her biological son's moves as she held Tachi in her arms.

Elisa strolled up to the two female gargoyles. She watched with them for a few minutes, before speaking to them, aside. "I have to admit, I'm worried that Gnash has no real peers his age."

Coldfire and Katana turned towards Elisa, causing the detective to look a little bit sheepish. "I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't butt in on this, but..."

"Elisa, you are one of the clan," Coldfire said, placing a robotic hand on the detective's shoulder.

"And you are just as much a parent to Nashville as any one of us," Katana said, before respectfully bowing her head. "This worries me, as well. It is not healthy for a Tengu so young to have no friends."

"Thanks," Elisa replied. "I just wish there we could get him some company that isn't just us grown-ups."

"I had some close friends in Ishimura, when I was younger," Katana said. "And Brooklyn had Broadway and Lexington."

"There are twenty-five gargoyles in the London Clan that are Nashville's age," Coldfire added. "Perhaps a visit to Knight's Spur is in his future."

Elisa brought her hand up to her chin and pondered this.

~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~

**The Apex Tower**

After soaring around in circles for nearly two hours, Angela alighted on one of the skyscraper's art-deco silver falcons and gracefully strolled over to the observation deck. Pulling herself up, she turned around to lean against the safety railing and waited. After a few minutes, she heard the familiar sound of wings on wind, just before another gargoyle landed on the observation deck.

"Good evening, my daughter," Demona said, as she sauntered towards Angela with open arms.

Angela suspiciously eyed her mother up and down, before deciding not to assume a battle stance. But she remained alert. Demona got the message and placed her hands on her hips instead.

"I like your new outfit," Demona said. She studied her daughter with pride, taking notice of Angela's midriff-baring, collared top with more of a plunging neckline than her old, one-piece tunic.

"I've been wearing this for almost two years," Angela replied, before folding her arms across her chest. "You called this meeting, Demona. What is Thailog planning?"

"I don't know, exactly," Demona replied, before smiling. "But perhaps we can find out, together."

Angela let a short, bitter laugh slip. "You are amazing. All of this drama and you have nothing to say?" She leapt up onto the railing. "This was a waste of both of our time."

"Wait!" Demona cried, reaching out towards her "I wasn't deceiving you; not this time. 'Dominique Destine' still has sources inside Nightstone Unlimited, but they're not part of Thailog's inner circle. Not since he seized the company after the Hunter's Moon."

"So that's what this is all about," Angela said. She turned around, stepped back onto the observation deck and glared daggers at Demona. "You want control of your company back. But if you think that I'm going to help hand you a power base like that, you are mistaken."

"I helped you and Goliath defeat Thailog once," Demona said, as she took a step closer towards Angela. "I know you don't trust me. I know that you hate me. But you can trust that Thailog is my enemy."

"I don't hate you," Angela admitted. "Sometimes, I wish I did."

"Is this one of those times," Demona asked, "my daughter?"

"I haven't decided," Angela replied.

"Come with me," Demona said. She strode closer and closer towards Angela, until they were standing right next to each other against the railing. "We'll sneak into Nightstone Unlimited and discover what Thailog is up to, together."

Angela sighed. "What have I got to lose?"

The gargoyles, mother and daughter, climbed onto the railing and took off into the sky.

~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~

Angela followed Demona as they soared over the city. She raised a brow as she soon noticed that they weren't heading in the direction of Nightstone's skyscraper, but towards Times Square. And there, on a stage addressing thousands of people, was John Castaway himself.

Demona came to a landing atop the One Times Square building, and Angela followed. "And why are we here?" Angela asked.

"I want you to look and listen," Demona replied as she pointed towards the crowd.

John Castaway spoke into the microphone, flanked by six hooded Quarrymen. "How many more of our fellow citizens need to die before the police and their Gargoyle Taskforce does something about these monsters?"

The fifty-five foot video screen above him displayed the images of three people as Castaway continued his speech. "There names were Gordon Carradine, Benjamin Vesbit, and Annette Keaton. They were devoted Cyberbiotics employees that dutifully did their jobs in order to provide for their families."

The crowd cheered as Castaway continued. "Gordon Carradine leaves behind a wife and three children. Benjamin Vesbit leaves behind an elderly mother, who can no longer afford her cancer treatment. And Annette Keaton leaves behind a toddler and a puppy named Max. And still justice isn't there to be found for them!

"Before I came before you tonight, I received a phone call from Detective Matthew Bluestone, the head of the Gargoyle Taskforce. He urged me not to speak with you. He urged me not to try to help all of you. But we are a constitutional republic. I will not allow an incompetent to prevent us from exercising our rights to free speech and assembly. Nor will I allow him to prevent us from exercising our right to defend ourselves and each other!"

Castaway smiled, as the image on the screen was replaced with a close-up of Goliath and the rest of the Manhattan Clan gliding away from the ruined clocktower nearly two years prior. "Every day we receive new recruits and donations! In fact, I am pleased to announce that I have just accepted a $10 million check from one of our city's most powerful and influential real estate developers!"

The crowd cheered again, but Castaway was just getting started. "We are fast approaching the point where we must take matters into our own hands to protect ourselves and our loved ones from these creatures! These monsters!"

Angela looked down in fear and disgust as the crowd went wild while Demona watched stoically. "How many humans do you think are down there at this very moment?"

"I don't know," Angela replied. "I don't want to know."

"Ten thousand, at least," Demona said. "Is this the world that you want your rookery daughter to face?"

"I know what your solution is, Demona," Angela said, turning towards the older gargoyle. "But that is not the answer. You cannot keep painting humans with such a broad brush."

"I have been in this world for over a thousand years," Demona said. "And I have seen over a thousand John Castaways."

"You've made your point," Angela said, her eyes narrowing. "Are we going to sneak into Nightstone Unlimited or not?"

Demona nodded and took wing once more. Angela began to follow when gunfire erupted from below. The two gargoyles quickly dodged, barely avoiding the shots.

"My friends," Castaway spoke into the mic, "it seems we are about to do Detective Bluestone's job for him." He stepped away from the podium, and turned to his personal guard. "Take down at least one of them."

But Demona dived towards the stage and landed in full view of the assembled masses. The Quarrymen charged their hammers and assaulted her. The gargoyle growled, grabbed one by the shirt and threw him into another.

"Get me the police," Castaway said to one of his aides. "It will look good if we hand one over alive." Then he stopped and took a long look at Demona. He gasped before reaching for a hammer. "On second thought, I think we should just kill _this one_ now."

As Demona continued to fight off six Quarrymen, Castaway approached her from behind, charging his hammer. And with years of Hunter training, he began to raise it… when Angela soared down from above. She whipped his weapon from his hands with her tail, before plowing through four of the Quarrymen that surrounded her mother, knocking them to the floor.

Finally, Angela grabbed Demona by her armpits and lifted her into the air, quickly making their way three blocks before coming to a landing on a rooftop. "Are you crazy?" Angela yelled. "You could have gotten captured or killed!"

"You were worried about me?" Demona asked, as she placed a hand on Angela's shoulder. "I'm touched."

"Whatever differences we have, I don't want you dead or in the Quarrymen's hands," Angela replied. "But what was that stunt for? To give Castaway even more ammunition?!"

"They were shooting at us, daughter," Demona said. "They were shooting at you. I had to teach them a lesson. Think of me as a lioness protecting her cub."

"I am not your cub," Angela said, barely containing the urge to yell.

"Of course you're not," Demona said. "I saw the way you fought. You are a true warrior. Your skills remind me of my own."

"I suppose I can take that compliment as it was intended," Angela replied.

"Perhaps you've inherited more of my aptitudes," Demona said, as she smiled. "Tell me, would you like me to teach you sorcery? I could use an apprentice."

"That isn't going to happen, ever," Angela said. "And another thing, you may have seen a thousand Castaways, but Princess Katharine, Guardian, the Magus, Elisa, and the other humans I call friends are worth a million Castaways."

Demona scowled, before strutting over to the edge of the roof. "I know a secret passage into Nightstone Unlimited. With any luck we can get in, access my computer there, and get out with the information we need."

"Lead the way," Angela said.

~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~

On a nearby rooftop, a mysterious figure watched Demona's attack on the Quarrymen's rally through a pair of high-powered binoculars, as well as Angela's rescue of her biological mother.

~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~

As Demona and Angela approached Nightstone Unlimited, Demona swooped downwards. She came to a landing on a rooftop about six blocks from the skyscraper that was their destination.

"What are you doing now?" Angela asked, as she landed at Demona's side.

"We don't know what we'll be facing in there," Demona replied, as she unlocked a wooden shed and opened the door. "I have no intention of going in there unarmed."

Demona pulled a large case out of the shed, opened it and removed a particle beam rifle. She checked the power cell and found it fully charged. She then produced a second particle beam rifle from the case and offered it to Angela.

"No," Angela said, as she pointed at the rifle. "I don't like guns."

"I'm afraid that I must insist," Demona said as she stood up. She placed the rifle into Angela's hands. "I don't need to tell you how dangerous Thailog is."

Angela examined the particle beam rifle in her talons, before crushing it. "If it comes to that, then I will trust you to protect me with your gun. But I will never turn a weapon like this on another living being."

Demona led Angela into the apartment building, down a flight of stairs and into a service elevator. She punched in a five digit code, and the elevator descended before opening again in a hidden basement. They made their way towards a concrete wall, and she opened a hidden passage, leading into a long tunnel.

The duo silently made their way down the long corridor. After about fifteen minutes, they came upon a dead end, a blank wall save for an electronic lock. Demona entered in a seven digit code, and the wall slid aside, revealing the lower levels of the Nightstone Unlimited building.

"This way," Demona whispered as Angela followed her towards a staircase.

"What about cameras?" Angela asked.

"This basement and staircase don't appear on the blueprints," Demona replied, as she began making her way up the stairs. "Not even Thailog knows about it."

The two gargoyles climbed several stories, stopping on the twenty-seventh floor. Demona entered in yet another security code, and the wall slid aside again. "The vault is this way," she said.

They snuck down the hallway, towards the laboratory. It was empty. The motion detector went off, activating the lights. Angela gasped as she took in the sight. Several rows of cloning pods filled the lab. The first one they noticed was a female gargoyle clone floating naked and asleep, being fed oxygen by a mask and nutrients with an IV tube. The clone looked exactly like her, save for the indigo skin and hair as white as a blizzard.

"I thought you didn't make a clone of me," Angela growled.

"I didn't," Demona replied, her eyes burning red.

Angela made her way over to the work bench and took note of about half a dozen gold-plated helmets, each with a single red electronic eye. "That boar you unleashed on the commitment ceremony wore something like this. What is it?"

"Perhaps I can answer that question, sis?" Thailog's voice echoed throughout the lab as the doors burst open and Goliath's clone entered, wearing his custom armor, and carrying a big particle beam cannon. Brentwood was at his side, grinning with black fangs.

"Thailog!" Angela growled. Demona pointed her rifle at him.

"Two against two, I see," Thailog said, before laughing. "I'm afraid that I cannot allow a fair fight." Suddenly, two more clones of Angela appeared, both wearing what appeared to be red armored leotards, with black shoulder, forearm, and shin guards. "Demona, Angela, I would like to introduce you to my personal guard, Goneril and Regan."

"You dare violate my daughter like this!" Demona shouted, keeping her rifle pointed at him.

Thailog laughed. "You know that I wanted a full set," he said. "But the problem with the original clones, Brentwood aside, was that troublesome free will." He motioned towards the gold helmets on the work bench. "But thanks to Nightstone's advances in neurosurgery, we remove the right hemisphere of a gargoyle's brain and replace it with a cybernetic implant, ensuring their complete obedience."

"We don't need cybernetic brains -" Regan began.

"- To be obedient, Master," Goneril finished.

"Of course not," Thailog said, before caressing Goneril's cheek with his free hand. "Both of you lovely ladies understand how to properly behave in Master's world."

Angela growled in disgust. Demona placed a reassuring hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"Which one of these is our mother?" Goneril asked, her lips cracking into a sadistic smirk.

"Perhaps they both are," Regan said. "Your orders, Master?"

"Detain them, for now," Thailog said, then laughed. "Perhaps we'll hand them both over to the good doctor."

Demona immediately opened fire, nailing Thailog in the torso. His armor protected him, but the impact of the particle beam still knocked him to the ground. "Angela, follow me!" she cried as they bounded past Brentwood and the twins, and down the hallway.

Thailog was quickly back on his feet. "Pursue them," he ordered.

The twins followed, and once out of the lab, they opened fire with their own particle beams. Demona and Angela narrowly dodged each blast, before coming upon a huge glass window. "Go!" Demona ordered, and Angela leaped out of the window first, followed by Demona

Goneril and Regan ran up towards what remained of the window and watched as their quarry escaped. After a moment, Thailog sauntered over, as well. His lips twisted into a cruel smile, and he chuckled.

"Brentwood," he said, as he patted the smaller clone on the head. "Gather the Shock Troops."

"Goody," Brentwood said, as he menacingly flexed his talons.

~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~

Demona soared up beside Angela as they put a comfortable distance between themselves and Nightstone Unlimited. She looked into her daughter's eyes and saw fury; she smiled.

"Did you know about this?" Angela asked, her eyes glowing red.

"No," Demona replied. "I did not. I knew he was planning something, but this..."

"I'm going to choose to believe you," Angela said. "But we need to warn Goliath."

"Goliath won't listen to me," Demona said, not quite succeeding at keeping the bitterness out of her tone.

"But he'll listen to me," Angela said. She unclipped the cell phone from her belt and dialed a number. "Elisa?"

Demona scowled at the sound of the detective's name, but kept her mouth shut.

"I'm with Demona right now." Angela paused for a moment. "No, she didn't hurt me." She paused again and narrowed her eyes as she caught her mother rolling hers. "We just escaped from Nightstone Unlimited. Thailog has created more clones."

"Tell her we'll need the entire clan if we're going to invade the building," Demona said.

Angela ended the call. "We'll be meeting Goliath at Madison Square Garden," she replied. "And we are not invading the building."

"You saw what I saw," Demona said. "We need to end him tonight!"

"We'll stop him," Angela said. "But we're not giving you back Nightstone Unlimited."

Demona merely smiled as they continued to soar over the city.

~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~

 **Madison Square Garden**  
**July 9** **th** **, 1998**

Over Manhattan's skies, Angela and Demona quickly approached Madison Square Garden. Eight other gargoyles soared out of the sky, surrounding the duo. Demona snarled and braced for an attack.

"Wait, Demona," Angela said. "It's Goliath!"

The rest of the Manhattan Clan 'escorted' them towards the roof of Madison Square Garden. Demona and Angela alighted on the middle of the rooftop while the rest of them landed in a circle around the two of them. Goliath placed Elisa on the ground. The detective drew her gun and pointed it at Demona while Coldstone raised his arm-cannon and Coldfire pointed an open palm, readying her flamethrower. Brooklyn released Fu-Dog, who roared at the blue female. He then pulled out his blaster and shot Demona's particle beam rifle from her hands.

"Angela, are you all right?" Broadway called, as he picked up Demona's weapon and crushed it.

"I'm fine," Angela said. "But we need to talk about Thailog, now."

"And we will," Elisa said, keeping her gun pointed right at Demona's heart. "But step away from Demona, first."

"I don't trust her anymore than you do," Angela said. "She was our enemy last night and will be our enemy again tomorrow, but we need to stop Thailog first."

"Oh come on!" Broadway growled. "Let's just throw her back in the Labyrinth. Talon would love to have her back there."

"I recommend that you listen to your mate," Demona said as she smirked at Broadway. "She's far brighter than you are."

"Angela, she's got you snowed, I know it!" Broadway called.

"I agree," Katana said as she unsheathed her sword and took another step closer.

"I think we should hear her out," Brooklyn said.

"Oh, not this again," Lexington said, then sighed. "Don't tell me she wins a Nobel Peace Prize in the future, or something?"

"I just think we should weigh our options," Brooklyn said. "Especially in the face of a more immediate threat."

"Brooklyn is right," Goliath said, as he stepped closer. "But all the same, we cannot trust Demona."

"I don't trust Demona," Elisa said. She lowered her weapon. "But I trust Angela."

"How wise of you, human," Demona said, as she smirked. "As we speak, Thailog is growing a small army of clones. Most likely to unleash against all of us."

"I saw them, Goliath," Angela said. "They're growing in cloning pods as we speak."

Suddenly a spotlight shone upon all of them. They all looked up to see the stolen Cyberbiotics hovercraft hovering above them. A trapdoor on the underside of the craft opened. Thailog leaped out, coming to a landing a few feet away from them, and pointed his particle beam cannon at Goliath. Goneril and Regan flanked him, also carrying particle beam rifles.

"Dad," Thailog said, with a wicked grin on his face. "It's been entirely too long."

"Thailog!" Goliath said. His eyes glowed white and he roared.

"I've missed your resounding wit," Thailog said, then chuckled. "And so many of the clan gathered. How fortuitous. Let's see how many of you I can send to an early grave."

"Normally this is the part where I say 'you and what army'," Brooklyn said as he raised his sonic cannon. "But we hear you're already growing one."

"Indeed," Thailog said. "In fact, it's farther along than you might think."

From out of the hovercraft, two more clones of Goliath leaped down, both wearing red body armor, black shoulder, shin, and forearm guards, and the cybernetic skull implants Demona and Angela saw back at the laboratory. The clones raised their weapons.

Behind them, two new clones of Lexington, Broadway, and Hudson leaped into the fray. All of them resembled the original clones, but with more armor as well as their own cybernetic skull implants.

"Well, father, what do you think of my new Shock Troops?" Thailog asked.

"Oh no," Lexington said, with a gasp.

"What is it?" Goliath asked him.

"Don't you see?" Lex cried. "I read about this, cybernetic brain implants. He's carved out half of their brains and replaced them with computer chips and wires."

"I see you read the article in Scientific American," Thailog said, chuckling malevolently.

"You created innocent gargoyles, and mutilated them to be your slaves?!" Goliath flared his wings and growled in anger. "You are an abomination."

"And I shall wear your pejorative as a badge of honor. No more pesky free will to get in the way of their primary directive: Obey Thailog," Thailog said, his lips curling into a sneering smile that would make Xanatos proud. "But I must thank you for the opportunity to take my new Shock Troops for a test drive."

"Scatter!" Goliath shouted.

"Fire!" Thailog commanded.

And the battle was underway.

~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~

 **The 23** **rd** **Precinct**

"Yes, I heard about the gargoyle attack on Castaway," Matt said, exasperated. "Johnny is a big boy and can obviously take care of himself."

"Castaway is a good man trying to protect this city from those beasts," Margot yelled. "Which is more than I can say for you."

"Thank you, Ms. Yale," Matt said. "Be sure to have them write that into my walking papers."

"Oh, I will," Margot replied.

The doors burst open and Officer Morgan ran in. "Detective, we just got a call. Gargoyles on top of Madison Square Garden. A lot of them. They're in a fire fight."

"Well, Bluestone, catch a few and you might get to keep your job," Margot said.

"Get the others," Matt said. "And get a SWAT Team."

"Now you're talking my language," Margot said, as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Morgan," Matt said as he and the beat cop exited the office. "Do me a favor and shoot me some time tonight."

"Can't," Morgan replied. "The paperwork is a pain in the ass."

~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~

Fu-Dog roared and pounced in Thailog's direction. But the clone released a short sword from his right-forearm guard and slashed at the beast, drawing blood. The blade then retracted.

"You!" Demona screamed, her eyes burning crimson. She leaped at Thailog, growling like a jungle cat. "You've taken everything from me, and you've desecrated my kind!"

"Not everything," Thailog said, as he unsheathed a pristine blade from his gauntlet. As Demona pounced towards him, he struck, stabbing her right through the gut. "How I have missed penetrating you, my dear." She fell to the ground, grabbing her abdomen, as Thailog's blade retracted.

"Demona!" Angela cried as she ran to her mother's side.

Thailog stood triumphantly and watched as his Shock Troops, with their superior firepower, put Goliath's clan on the defensive. He heard a roar and looked up as Nashville leaped at him, brandishing his kodachi.

"You must be joking," Thailog said, as he released another pristine blade, and blocked Gnash's attack. Using his superior strength, he knocked the kodachi from the young gargoyle's hands, then slashed him across the arm with his short sword, which then retracted.

Nearby, Katana was about to roar with rage, but she stopped as she noticed Thailog's changing forearm blades. "He's collecting our blood to make more of these abominations!" she shouted.

"What?!" Brooklyn cried. The distant memory of Halloween, 1996 came back to him. "How did we not catch that the first time!?"

"You didn't have me, my love." Katana said. She swung her blades through the air, and charged at Thailog.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Thailog said, as he picked up the injured Nashville and threw him straight at Katana. The Tengu warrior lowered her sword, so as not to injure her her son. Thailog pounced at her, slicing her across the leg with one more clean blade.

"I think I have a full set now," he chuckled malevolently, as the last blade retracted into his gauntlet. Then he raised his particle beam cannon. "Well, almost."

~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~

Goliath, Lexington, Broadway, Coldstone, and Coldfire flew through the air, as the Shock Troops pursued, blasting at them with their particle beams.

Coldfire reversed in mid-air, quickly turned and blasted a beam of flames at them, which they successfully dodged. One of them blasted her with a particle beam, taking out a chunk of her mechanical shoulder. Coldstone swooped down and caught her as she fell from the sky.

"Goliath," Coldstone shouted. "She's wounded!"

"Take her back to the castle, now!" Goliath ordered. Coldstone complied, activating his rockets and flying back to the castle.

Goliath dove at one of his new clones and viciously attacked it. He disarmed it and tossed the crushed particle beam gun aside.

His focus was briefly interrupted by the sound of police sirens. He looked down to see several police cars and vans begin surrounding Madison Square Garden. Dozens of cops, many of them wearing tactical gear, piled out of the vehicles.

"We need to finish this now!" cried Goliath. He slashed the Shock Trooper across the wings with his talons. The clone fell to the ground.

~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~

Thailog smiled viciously as his forces continued to drive back the Manhattan Clan. "Well, what do you know?" he said. "The mighty Goliath can be defeated."

Angela leaped in front of him, eyes glowing, assuming a battle stance. "And you've been defeated before."

"You know, sis," Thailog said as he pointed his particle beam cannon at her, "you are more annoying than you're worth."

"No!" Demona screamed. Battling the pain of her stab wound, she threw herself in front of Angela and took the blast that had been meant for her.

"Mother," Angela whispered, as Demona landed with a sickening thud at her feet.

"Angela!" Goliath shouted, as he swooped down and lifted Elisa into his arms. "We need to fall back!"

"I'll cover our escape!" Brooklyn called as he began firing his futuristic sonic cannon.

Thailog growled and covered his ears as the gargoyles took to the air. Angela picked up Demona's limp body in her arms, and also took off into the air, following her clan.

Thailog uncovered his ears, watched their flight and let out a long, maniacal laugh.

~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~

Down on the streets, the fallen Shock Trooper got to his feet as the SWAT team surrounded it. Matt Bluestone at their head.

"I want it alive!" Matt ordered.

But, suddenly, the Shock Trooper's cybernetic brain started to crackle with electrical sparks, as the flesh and blood hemisphere began to melt. The clone then fell over, dead.

"We got one," Morgan said. "Finally."

"Well done, Detective," Margot said as she got out of the police car and ran up. "Looks like you'll be keeping your job after all."

But Matt just ignored her, as he stared at the gargoyle clone. "Something about this smells like a can of tuna on a park bench in July."

~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~

Through a pair of high-powered binoculars, a figure standing atop the Empire State Building watched as Matt Bluestone and his Gargoyle Taskforce began loading the carcass of Shock Trooper Zero into the back of a van. Then her gaze moved towards Thailog reveling in his victory, as he and his remaining troops boarded the hovercraft. Finally, she turned and watched as the Manhattan Clan, with Demona, soared away in defeat. She smirked at Brooklyn's irate frustration at their humiliation.

The gargoyle called Tamora lowered her binoculars and handed them to her servant, Aaron. In return, he handed her an open cell phone.

"Mr. Duval?" she said. "I am pleased to report that the operation was a complete success."

~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~

**The Eyrie Building**

They were battered, bruised, bloodied, and some of them barely made it back to the castle under their own power. But they were alive. Each of them landed in the castle's courtyard, some less gracefully than others.

Goliath set Elisa down, looked over his clan, and sighed sympathetically. "Is everyone all right?" he asked.

"Well enough to make it to sunrise, I think," Brooklyn said.

"I'll call Dr. Sato," Elisa said, as she pulled her cell phone our of her pocket.

Angela was the last one to land, carrying Demona in her arms. She gently placed her mother on the ground, and kneeled down to inspect her injuries. Right before her eyes, her wound began to close.

Demona groaned in pain and sat up. "The spell that links Macbeth and myself will activate to heal any wound that's severe or fatal," she said, then slowly got to her feet. "Thank you, daughter."

"I owed you," Angela replied. "You saved my life."

"I didn't do it to have you in my debt," Demona said, placing a hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"I know," Angela replied. "Despite everything, I trust that you at least believe you have my best interests in mind."

Goliath slowly stepped forward, fighting off the pain from the recent battle. "Demona," he said. "Because you did try to help us, this one time, we will allow you to go free."

"We can't," Broadway said, as he fought to stand up. "She's right there, let's just grab her."

"Broadway is right," Lex said, groggily, as he slowly got to his feet. "She'll just try to kill all of humanity again, soon."

"Guys," Brooklyn cut in. "Look at us, and look at her. We can barely stand, and she's already good as new. We couldn't detain her now, even if we tried."

"I suggest you go," Katana said, her eyes briefly flashing red.

"I will leave momentarily," Demona said, then turned to face Angela. "I would like to see you again, soon. Perhaps we can have a real relationship as mother and daughter."

"I would like that too," Angela replied. "But we can't be a family as long as you wage a war on humanity."

"It's to protect all of our kind," Demona cried. "Especially you, my daughter. Do you think that I want to see you under the Quarrymen's hammers?"

"All right," Angela said. "For now, let's meet halfway. If you want a relationship with me, stop trying to murder Elisa. And that would be just to start."

Demona was taken aback. She looked over Angela's shoulder, and watched as Elisa tenderly examined Goliath's wounds. She barely suppressed a snarl as her eyes flashed red.

Angela sighed, and briefly looked at the ground. "I guess I have my answer."

"You heard her, Demona," Brooklyn said.

"Yeah!" Gnash cried. "Get out of here! Nobody wants you here!"

Demona turned around and began climbing the stairs to the parapets. But Angela ran after her. "Mother, wait," she said.

"What is it?" Demona asked as she turned back.

Angela quickly embraced Demona and drew her into a hug. Demona hesitated a moment, before wrapping her arms around Angela.

"I love you, daughter," Demona said.

"I know you do," Angela replied.

"Ewww!" Gnash shouted.

After another moment, they both let go. Demona nodded to her daughter, and then made her way up the stairs to the parapets, then took off into the night.

Angela then climbed down the stairs and back into the courtyard. Some of the clan just stared at her, stunned. Others did not seem surprised.

"What did you do that for?" Broadway cried. But Angela just walked past her mate and into the castle.

As Angela made her way to the library, Brooklyn walked up beside her. "Not that I don't think you handled that gracefully, because you absolutely did, but we heard about your visit to the Quarryman rally, and -"

"She tried to do to me what she almost did with you," Angela replied. "I suppose Castaway makes for a powerful scare tactic."

"You know that Demona has a knack for making things sound worse than they actually are," he said. "She's embraced a whole lot of half-truths that she believes in to a fault."

"I know," Angela said. "Why do you think I embraced her? I know nothing will likely come of it, but I wanted her to feel something besides hate."

Brooklyn stopped in his tracks, and watched as Angela continued towards the library. He smiled with approval.

~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~

**Nightstone Unlimited**

Within the laboratory, Dr. Anton Sevarius finished extracting the blood samples from Thailog's gauntlet, and placed them into labeled vials. "Your collection is almost complete, my dear Thailog."

"And the Shock Troops were a complete success," Thailog said, with a grin. "All and all, it was a good night."

"But Thailog lose Shock Trooper Zero!" Brentwood cried. "Brentwood like Shock Trooper Zero."

"Yes, you two did work well together when you stole that hovercraft for me," Thailog replied. "But sacrifices had to be made. Detective Bluestone gets his collar, and I make sure that no annoying Redemption Squads decide to breathe down my neck."

"And how soon until we get the hatchling's DNA?" Sevarius asked.

Before Thailog could answer, the doors to the lab burst open, and Demona stormed in. Coldsteel stood behind her, flaring his tendrils while Demona's eyes burned red in fury.

Sevarius drew back, Brentwood braced himself, and Goneril and Regan raised their weapons. But Thailog simply laughed before clapping his hands. "And I must compliment you on a job well done, Demona."

"What?" Brentwood asked.

Demona reached into her belt and pulled out one more vial. "Now you have a full set," she said, as she approached Sevarius's work bench and placed the vial into the geneticist's hands. "Acquired last night in the park."

"Splendid," Thailog replied. "When I approached you about this weeks ago, I didn't think you would have the nerve."

"You know my price," Demona replied, the red never once fading from her eyes.

"Yes, yes, I will uphold my part of the bargain," Thailog said. "You will have access to Nightstone Unlimited's resources once more, so that you may continue your little crusade against humanity."

Demona gazed down at the work bench and picked up the vial with her name labeled on it. "I am not one of Goliath's clan. As such my DNA was not part of the bargain."

"You can't blame me for being greedy," Thailog replied, with a malevolent chuckle. "You are, indeed, a perfect specimen."

Demona looked at Goneril and Regan, and clenched her teeth in disgust. Then her gaze shifted to the third Angela clone, floating in the pod. "You've violated my daughter enough," she growled, then pointing at the pod. "See that you destroy that one."

"As you wish," Thailog said as Demona and Coldsteel both took their leave. Once they were gone, Thailog turned to Sevarius. "Anton, have Cordelia moved to the subbasement. Perhaps she'll be useful later."

Thailog then made his way towards his private chambers, and removed his armor, donning a toga, before sitting back in his chaise. Shari approached him with a bottle of wine.

"I hear you had a successful evening, Mr. Thailog," she said as she poured the wine into a glass.

"I did," he replied. "But I was hoping to create another Delilah."

"You don't need another Delilah, Mr. Thailog," Shari replied with a sly smile. "I know someone that might be interested in meeting you some night. If you play your cards right."

Thailog looked over at her, and raised a brow. "Don't you have a story for me?"

Shari's smile didn't leave her face as she began. "The story is told – though who can say if it be true -…. of a mighty warrior known by her enemies as the 'Queen of the Goths'."

~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~

"We needed a night like this!" Coldsteel cried out as he and Demona flew through the air. "More so, dear sister, you needed a night like this."

Demona did not reply as they kept heading south.

"Oh, what's wrong now? Coldsteel asked. "We won a major victory, albeit we need to share it with that product of mad science, but look at what we've achieved!"

"Don't you have somewhere else to be?" Demona snapped.

"I can tell you won't be much fun tonight," Coldsteel said as he began veering east. "When you need me, just ring."

Demona didn't even watch him leave as she continued gliding south, towards Gramercy Park.

~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~

**The Eyrie Building**

Goliath and Broadway found Angela sitting in the library. She heard them coming, and placed her book on the coffee table.

"Angela," Broadway said. "I'm sorry for being a jerk. But I just don't want to see her hurt you again."

"You're probably right," Angela admitted. "Even I suspect this entire affair was a trick of some sort. But just because I love my biological mother doesn't mean that I trust her."

"But if you know that she had to be pulling some kind of con, why give her any affection?" Broadway asked.

"Because I am determined to build this bridge," Angela replied. "It might take years, perhaps decades. And I'm not naïve enough to believe it won't collapse a few times. But if there's even a possibility that giving her love might one day save even one life, then I'm going to do it."

"Do not get your hopes up, Angela," Goliath said. "But I am proud of you for refusing to give up. Even on an enemy like Demona."

"Thank you, Father," Angela said as she gave Goliath a hug.

"I will leave leave you two alone now," Goliath said, then smiled and strode back out the library's doorway.

"Hey," Broadway said, with a grin. "We're alone now." Angela smiled slyly, and the two embraced. Broadway then knelt, grabbing his knee. "Ouch! When's sunrise coming?"

"Come here," Angela said, as she knelt down and examined his wound. "Does it hurt when I do this?" she asked, then kissed it.

"Yeah," Broadway said. "But you can keep doing it anyway."

~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~ : ~

**Gramercy Park**

Demona entered her townhouse through the open window, and stepped into her study. She approached her winged, throne-like chair, and sat back. But she found no comfort. She slouched slightly, resting her cheek against her fist.

She had done what she had to do, tonight. But even she could not escape a dangerous enemy, a twinge of remorse.

**Never the End**


End file.
